Page 47 of Lion’s Den

Cam’s teammates watched Sedona with sympathy in their eyes. That’s not what he wanted for her, nor was it what she sought. He could tell by the tilt of her stubborn little chin that she’d caught their sympathy and hadn’t liked it one bit.

“I’m fine,” she snapped. “I’m not like the others. I didn’t grow up in the system.”

He didn’t think Sedona was telling the truth about being all right, but this wasn’t the time to chase that rabbit.

Sedona drew a deep breath and plunged ahead with her tale. “Two months ago, my sisters and I received letters from a lawyer, informing us that Mom had passed away from cancer and left each of us a letter. Grandfather William also had a letter from Laura informing him about his granddaughters and encouraging him to find them.”

Rhys whistled. “Cold.” He sent Sedona an apologetic look. “Sorry.”

“Why? You’re right. My mother was as cold as ice until a few weeks before she died. According to her letter, she knew she’d made a mistake in giving away her children and she wanted to make amends.”

Sedona’s laugh was bitter. “Right. Make amends. There’s no way she could do that thirty years after her first child was born. Do you know what she did? Laura Jane Hart dumped us once again, this time on her dying father. He did what he could to prepare all of us for what was coming. In his last days, he heard about this house in Maple Valley known as the hoarder house.”

Isaac’s eyebrows soared. “Seriously?”

“There’s no other way to describe this place.” She glanced at Cam, who took over the story.

“This house is everyone’s worst nightmare. Sedona wasn’t wrong. Every room is packed almost to the ceiling with objects someone once viewed as important or a collectible. Now, it’s just junk. I’ve been helping her clear out one room at a time. I think we’ve had to call the company renting Sedona the Dumpsters in her front yard five times already, and we’ve only cleared two rooms so far. And that was with Mrs. Grady’s help.”

Spencer frowned. “That doesn’t sound like much progress.”

“If you knew how many items were crammed into those rooms, our progress would astonish you.” Sedona sat on a bar stool. “The house Grandfather bought is absolutely massive. Three floors with at least ten rooms per floor. I wanted to clean the rooms before my sisters showed up and moved in. Now, it won’t be finished before they arrive.”

Dario held up one hand. “Wait. Are you telling us that you and your half-sisters are going to move in together for the first time at thirty years old?”

“If we want to inherit the money Grandfather left for us, we have to live together under one roof for one year, and the hoarder house is the roof he chose.”

Spencer said, “Look, you don’t have to tell me anything because I’d understand not wanting a stranger to nose into your business, but your grandfather must have left each of you a substantial amount if his instructions were so specific.”

“Five million dollars each.”

He stared a moment. “Wow.”

“Living together for one year seems easy enough,” Rhys said.

“No way.” Isaac shook his head. “You know how these things work. Strings are attached when you least expect them. So, what are the strings?”

“Grandfather and his lawyer located five of us. Apparently, we have one more half-sister. We have to find her and convince her to move in before the year is up, then she must live in the house for one year.”

Dario snorted. “Not such a terrible deal if you’re the only one living there. The rest of you can move out if you want, right?”

“Nope. Sorry, but you lose the grand prize, Dario. The lost sister must live in the giant house with the rest of the sisters.”

“She’s tied to the house?” Rhys’ astonishment was obvious. “And you’re okay with this, Cam?”

“Nope, but I’ll deal.”

Dario frowned. “What’s with the lost sister? I thought there were only five of you total.”

“Turns out there’s a sixth sister, and we have to find her and bring her into the family.”

“People don’t just disappear,” Isaac said. He looked to his teammates for support.

“Let’s change that to people rarely disappear.” Cam found coffee mugs in one cabinet and filled them with the hot, steaming brew. “How much looking have you done, Sedona?”

“Almost none,” she admitted. “With Grandfather dying and me still sorting out and getting rid of as many items as I could before my half-sisters move here permanently, I haven’t had time to consider where Phoenix is.”

Dario straightened. “Phoenix?”